Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

Ten minutes later.

Inside a meeting hall within the Mizukage's building in Kirigakure.

Two factions were locked in intense negotiations over the future of [Kiri].

Shimoku sat on the left side, guarded by Riyō, Yueji, and another standing behind him.

On the right side sat Genji, the elder of Kiri; beside him were Terumi Mei, Gonbee, Zabuza, Suikazan, and several unfamiliar clan leaders from prominent Mist clans.

To put it bluntly, no matter how many people stood before him,

if Shimoku chose to act,

he could erupt instantly and slaughter everyone present without issue.

In fact, once all those sitting across from him were dead,

the entire [Kirigakure] would be on the brink of destruction.

It might even collapse entirely on its own.

Of course, wiping out a [Kirigakure] filled with "entertainment" would bring no benefit to himself or his village at this moment.

That was precisely why Shimoku had not taken action.

Certainly not because he was dwelling on last night's 'pleasure'!

Soon enough.

The negotiation began.

Genji's side remained fully serious throughout.

Although they had heard from Terumi Mei 

that she had deeply satisfied this 'Lord Shimoku' the previous night, 

no one knew whether this terrifyingly strong Uchiha brat 

might change his mind after getting what he wanted, like some men often do.

Therefore, in this negotiation, 

they must give it their absolute best effort 

to preserve as much benefit for their [Kirigakure] as possible!

Yes, they had long given up any hope 

of sending off Lord Shimoku—this divine entity—unscathed.

They just hoped the cost they had to pay would be kept as low as possible.

...

"Don't worry, I have no intention of harming your village."

"I have two conditions. Both are very simple."

"Just fulfill these two conditions, and I'll leave immediately. I won't interfere with internal village affairs ever again."

Shimoku spoke first.

Hearing that, Genji and the others across the table quietly exhaled in relief.

As long as there were negotiable terms, 

there was room for discussion.

That was the best-case scenario.

Far better than dealing with some mindless idiot.

Genji slowly responded, "Please speak, Lord Shimoku."

"First: [Kirigakure] must issue an official announcement to the world, formally declaring an alliance with [Homura Hidden Village], standing together against enemies and defending jointly."

Shimoku threw out his first condition.

Truthfully, considering how ruined Kiri currently was, 

he didn't expect them to actually fight alongside his village.

What he needed was simply to borrow the name of [Kirigakure], one of the Five Great Hidden Villages.

After all, the other villages had no idea about [Kirigakure]'s true state.

Once they allied with [Homura Hidden Village], 

any Hidden Village daring to launch military action against his village 

would have to think very carefully before doing so.

Moreover, after forming the alliance, 

his [Sea Trade Company] could operate openly and legitimately within the [Land of Water].

As an ally, 

can't I make a little profit off you? What's wrong with that?

Too much to ask? I think not.

... 

Soon, Kiri's side erupted into heated discussion.

There were voices of support, and there were objections.

Everyone shared their opinions, arguing endlessly.

But not long passed before Elder Genji—the most respected among them—slammed his fist on the table and declared the final verdict.

He gave in and accepted the condition.

Although their own village—the Hidden Mist—was one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, forming an alliance with a small hidden village that had only just been established after defecting from Konoha would inevitably bring many disadvantages and losses.

But Genji's ruthless gaze wasn't focused on this so-called "Homura Hidden Village" at all.

It was all about Shimoku Uchiha—the ninja who fights like a living Tailed Beast.

If they could secure the alliance and prove useful to Shimoku, it would more than make up for the Hidden Mist's current lack of elite fighters.

And when trouble hits the village later, getting this powerhouse to step in will be a whole lot easier.

And if they can just endure these next few years...

They'd eventually train their own Kage-level warriors.

Then everything would have been worth it!

...

"Very well," he said. "Let's move on to the second point."

"Riyō, report."

Shimoku nodded and motioned to Riyō behind him.

Riyō stepped forward and unrolled an accounting scroll in front of him.

He quickly began reporting:

"According to our records, during this recent battle, Young Master spared a total of 65 Hidden Mist ninjas."

"Among them: Genin—7."

"Chunin—28."

"Tokubetsu Jonin—21."

"Jonin—9."

"The total amount requested is one hundred million ryo—please settle it now!"

Upon hearing this, Zabuza across the table grimaced and quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.

The other Mist elders exploded in outrage.

That's an astronomical sum—well over one hundred million!

Though compared to the hundreds of billions that the entire Hidden Mist Village is worth, it might seem trivial.

But there's an essential difference between market value and hard cash!

It's just like a multibillion-dollar company going bankrupt overnight from a tiny million-dollar cash shortage!

And with several years of self-imposed isolation and harsh internal policies already in place,

the Hidden Mist's treasury was practically empty already.

Where were they supposed to come up with one hundred million ryo?

Of course, if they really gritted their teeth, sold off some village assets, cut back on shinobi mission payments, and borrowed from the major ninja clans within the village…

they could probably scrape together the hundred million ryo.

But doing that would probably crash the village's already shaky economy after the war.

Once the economy crashes, villagers won't even have money for food or basic supplies anymore.

At that point, the downfall of the Hidden Mist would already be near…

Even more importantly—who the hell greenlit this ridiculous condition in the first place?!

Trading the lives of Mist ninjas for money? That's insane!

Who exactly signed off on this insane deal anyway?!

"Cough... cough..."

A certain "Demon of the Hidden Mist" cleared his throat awkwardly while keeping his head bowed low.

Instantly drawing the attention of the other Mist leaders.

All eyes turned toward Zabuza, filled with rage and fury.

And right now, Zabuza himself sat helplessly, burdened with sorrow, unable to offer any defense.

At first, tempted by that brat Shimoku, he thought paying to preserve a few ninja bloodlines for the village was an absolutely great deal.

But when he returned to the village...

He realized his treasury had practically been "drained to the last coin."

The entire village's economy had been thrown into chaos and become extremely strained under The Fourth Yagura.

There simply weren't enough funds left to pay up!

Plus, after such a massive battle, there were already far too many areas needing pacification and repairs within [Kiri].

They were broke. Flat-ass broke!

Seeing this,

Shimoku raised an eyebrow and bluntly threatened:

"What? Trying to skip out on payment?"

"Or maybe... you want another round?"

Looking exactly like someone who'd just "pulled up his pants and vanished"—denying everything despite being right in the middle of it. This sight made Terumi Mei scowl in pure rage.

You see, negotiation is a highly sophisticated art.

In both his previous life and this one, people had gotten more than their share through skillful negotiations.

Unfortunately, Shimoku wasn't particularly skilled at negotiations.

Or rather, he simply couldn't be bothered with all the mind games and scheming against his opponents.

After all, his strength alone tipped the scales!

Don't agree? Let's dance!

Not suitable? Let's dance!

Not paying? Drop dead!

In short, if things didn't meet Shimoku's demands, then the only option left was for the entire [Kiri] to perish!

Simple and brutal.

Exactly the effect Shimoku wanted.

...

Right now,

scared by Shimoku's attitude,

the group of Kiri elites across from him felt their hearts jump in fear.

They couldn't help but recall yesterday when this Uchiha brat had displayed horrifying strength battling the Three-Tails, making their scalps tingle once again.

"Please forgive us, Lord Shimoku."

"We're not trying to dodge our debts. We're also sincerely grateful for all those precious ninja lives saved by Lord Shimoku."

"It's just that the village's current situation isn't good."

"We truly can't raise so much money all at once..."

Genji quickly tried to ease the tension, explaining as fast as he could.

But he understood even better that there was no way to escape from this massive financial burden.

First off, the agreement had originally been set between the other side and Zabuza — and they clearly lacked the military power to break this deal.

Second, if they weren't even willing to spend money to protect the lives of their ninja citizens, it would inevitably greatly damage the village's standing among its people, severely undermining the leadership's credibility and creating even more problems.

Therefore, morally and logically,

this was a loss [Kiri] absolutely had to swallow!

"No worries. Just pay however much you currently have."

"As for the rest, we can work out installment payments slowly over time."

"After all, we're already allies. I won't be too rough on a friend, right?"

Shimoku grinned widely, offering his sickly sweet proposal.

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